English

THIS IS ENGLISH 2019/2020

Here at St Bede's, our English teachers work with our young people to ensure they become literate, thoughtful members of the wider community with sound foundations not only for academic success but for life beyond school.

We feel it is absolutely our duty to help nurture a love of books, a love of reading and a passion for discussion and analysis. We think this is fundamental in developing engaged, perceptive and well balanced students.

English at Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)

We aim to strike the right balance between preparing for the rigours of the new 9-1 English GCSE courses and the enjoyment of topics for simple enjoyment's sake. Right from the start of Year 7, our pupils engage with a wide variety of Learning Programmes which transport them from classic literary settings through to the emerging digital technologies of our 21st century world.

Even though we pride ourselves in utilising many contemporary English teaching techniques and strategies, we are unashamedly 'old-school' when it comes to spelling, grammar and punctuation. It is the bedrock of all future successes and will benefit the student across all disciplines here.

There are assessment points built into each half-termly unit of study. Following these summative challenges, the department actively encourages periods of self-assessment and pupil self-reflection to establish a focus for development and create a pathway for future progress.

We are a proud reading school and the habit is embedded with weekly "Stop, Drop and Read!" sessions in English lessons. We actively celebrate literature in this department and staff lead on wonderful local and national initiatives such as The Lancashire Book of The Year programme and The Big Book Quiz.

Drama and Media Studies in Key Stage 3

Drama is a key feature in the English curriculum and pupils in years 7, 8 and 9 will have the opportunity to take part in regular practical drama lessons as part of a unit of study, which aims to prepare pupils for GCSE level drama by teaching practical performance skills, drama vocabulary, imaginative writing and evaluative skills. Drama is embedded in many English lessons in Key Stage 3 through the study of play-scripts and drama texts which are also studied as part of our English literature curriculum. The practical exploration of these texts is encouraged as a tool to deepen understanding and bring the texts to life.

Media Studies is currently the most popular option subject at St. Bede's and is managed by members of the English department. We support that in KS3 by offering a half-term per year, giving students an introduction to both media analysis and creative production projects.

English at Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)

Pupils build on prior learning which provides the platform for achieving their potential at GCSE. We follow the Eduqas syllabuses for both English Language and English Literature.

Pupils will sit the English Literature GCSE in Y10 and English Language GCSE in Y11.

Each pupil will sit two exams per subject. Please refer to the Learning Programme documents for additional detail.

Both subjects are now following the 9-1 grading system. We do not formally support re-sits in the department and the exam content will be taught in separate years.

As in KS3, regular assessments and exam practices are integral features of the KS4 curriculum.

Academic Support

The department has excellent academic support in place. Inspired by our Literacy Co-Ordinator and supported by experienced and highly qualified practitioners, we are rigorous in our assessment of developmental issues and how thoroughly we look to challenge any barriers to learning.

The department is also in the vanguard of initiating a range of mechanisms to help our students achieve their full potential, whether that be 1-2-1 or small group academic support or creating innovative seminar programmes with our superb local 6th Form partners.

Please direct any queries regarding the English Department at St. Bede's to: n.belger@sbchs.co.uk